Georges Seurat - Art History Project

[StellaSarah227]

totally LOVE how you did this! way better then all the slow music ones!

[kariveikko]

paintings and how to show them,interesting contrast...

[MiddleIslandStudios]

impressive video in the way it was shown.

[trainingvidz]

Introduction: It is only fitting that the semester be finished off with a project on artist Georges Seurat. Though he was the artist assigned to us during our mid-term group project, I did not choose his work simply because I am familiar with it. Instead, I choose his work because throughout the years of my life, his work Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, is the piece that immediately comes to my mind when someone says the word "art."

[trainingvidz]

Introduction Continued: The reason for this is probably because for some odd reason, his use of pointillism embedded into my mind as an elementary school art student, and it has stuck with me ever since. Perhaps this was his intention in applying scientific method (Chevreul's Law) to his paintings -- to stick in the mind of the beholder.

[trainingvidz]

Ushering in neo-impressionism with the first work displayed in the "Seurat Virtual Gallery" is Bathers at Asnières. While being the first work Seurat created (that we know of) using the method of pointillism, it is not his most well-known work. I enjoy this piece, because like Sunday Afternoon..., it has a certain stillness to it, though in reality there would have been great movement and action. His ability to capture the moment in this style makes it a truly impressive work.

[trainingvidz]

The second work displayed in the gallery is Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. This is the work that has stuck with me through the years more than any other piece of art. The island was considered to be "noisy littered, and chaotic", though in this representation it seems very peaceful and tranquil. Many believe this work to be a satire of the Parisian middle-class being Seurat was a devotee of anarchist beliefs.

[trainingvidz]

Thank you for joining me on this tour of the Seurat Virtual Gallery. I do hope you'll join us again soon!

[trainingvidz]

The second work in the gallery is Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. As mentioned above, it is his most well-known work, and an inaccurate representation of what the scene would have likely been. The island is described as "noisy, littered, and chaotic," yet Seurat paints a peaceful and tranquil scene. Many believe this work to be a satire of the Parisian middle-class being Seurat was a devotee of anarchist beliefs.

[trainingvidz]

The third work in the gallery is Les Poseuses, or "The Models or The Posers". I like this work for a few reasons. Like the previous two works, it is rich and vibrant in color. Also, it gives a sense that you are catching a behind the scenes glimpse into the world of the artist. Finally, the representation of La Grande Jatte in the background gives the viewer a good perspective on just how large that painting is.

[trainingvidz]

Port en Bessin (Outer Harbor) enters the gallery as the fourth painting. Seurat did six paintings with the Port as his subject. Each one varies in perspective and location within the port, but this is my favorite due to the elevated view of the landscape and waterway. When I look at this painting, I can almost feel the breeze rolling across the hills.

[trainingvidz]

Next in the gallery we have Young Woman Powdering Herself. This work, like Sunday on the Island..., took Seurat a couple of years to paint. One might wonder why Seurat took such great care in painting something that is in many ways simpler than some of his other works. The reason may likely be that he wanted to represent his mistress the best he could. Not even his closest friends knew until after his death that the model for this painting was indeed she.

[trainingvidz]

Le Chahut enters the gallery in the sixth position, and takes on a slightly different look than many of Seurat's other paintings. While there are certain bright areas of the painting, there are also deep, dark tones to it as well. Also, this painting tends to have more movement and action than many of his other works, and Seurat's cameo appearance in the lower left-hand corner makes this a notable piece.

[trainingvidz]

Arriving next in our gallery tour is The Bridge at Courbevoie. What most strikes me about this work is the peacefulness and serenity. The two lone people on the shoreline, give it a more peaceful feeling. One might think the presence of two people would bring a disturbance to the peace, but their distance draws the viewer further into the picture of calm.

[trainingvidz]

Le Bec Du Hoc sticks out in the eighth place within this virtual tour. While showing somewhat of a peaceful scene, the emotion this painting stirs in me is anything but. The path leading up the side of the cliff beckons me to sprint up the side of the rock, and dive to the ocean below. Whether or not I would have the guts to do this in real life, that is the emotion that it evokes within me!

[trainingvidz]

Gray weather, our second to last painting in the gallery, evokes a certain sense of sadness. I don't know if it is the psychological effect of the title, "grayness" of the painting, or a combination of the both. I get a sense and feeling of loss somehow when I look at this. I think it has something to do with the empty boat.  It's almost as if the person who should be in it has somehow died, or is in a bad state of some sort.

[trainingvidz]

We wrap up our gallery tour with Seurat's final large scale work, The Circus. This painting was left unfinished at his death, and like Le Chahut, this painting shows far more movement than many of his other works. Lively public entertainment at Cirque Fernando had been a popular subject for a number of impressionist painters, but like his other paintings, Seurat's representation was far different than that of other artists of his time.